The 27-year-old who completed his digital film and screen arts degree in 2010, is behind the modern adaptation of Winston Graham's classic novel series, which began on Sunday night (March 8).

Brought in by the BBC to direct episodes five to eight - as well as the series' opening sequence - McGregor was approached about the position off the back of his previous work, which includes directing episodes of E4’s Bafta-winning Misfits and Pepsi’s inventive 2014 Super Bowl advert.

“It was almost exactly a year ago that I was reading the scripts for it, and it was something that was quite moving and epic and dramatic, and something I thought would be quite fun to do,” said McGregor, who is originally from Norfolk.

“So I went along for the meeting, it went quite well and they offered me the job, which I was quite surprised about, because I think traditionally you’d go with a more experienced director for a Sunday night TV drama on the BBC.”

Set in 1783, Poldark tells the story of a young-man’s turbulent return to his Cornish home following the American War of Independence.

It is the second time the BBC has adapted the novel series, having previously made two series between 1975 and 1977.

With much of his previous work based in a contemporary setting, McGregor said he was excited about being given the opportunity to work on a period piece set on the beautiful Cornish coast, in which the themes were still relevant today.

“I really enjoy period dramas set in a historical context. If you can escape the everyday through history or through fantasy, it enables a different level of storytelling. You can tell stories such as Poldark – which is about the relationship between a community and the hierarchy, and of the social unrest – without feeling like you’re shoving it down people throats,” said Will.

Despite being given some of the series’ most grandiose scenes to shoot, including a shipwreck and a riot, McGregor said it was the more intimate, character-lead scenes that he found were the most daunting to be put in charge of.

He said: “With such a character lead piece, especially the love triangle, those scenes are almost more daunting than the big set pieces, as you have to make sure what you’re doing on the day, in a really rushed schedule, is honest, otherwise people don’t buy into it.”